Hand tool



Patented Dec. 19, 1939 I UNITED STATES PATENT; OFFICE f 22,183,960 I 7 HAND Toot Albin R. Erickson, Los Angeles, Calif. Application December ,21, 1937, Serial No. 180,960 2 Claims; (01. 306- 32) My invention relates to hand tools and has tal removal-of thehandle from the non tapered particular reference to a handle for hammers, eye. p I v r hatchets, axes or similar hand implements. In Another object of my invention is to provide hand tool constructions considerable difficulty is a tool of the character described wherein taencountered in maintaining the head of a tool, pered slots are formed in opposed walls of a non- ,5 such as a hammer, securely upon its handle, the tapered eye in. the tool head and into which eye common practice being to employ a head having the plate may be inserted along one of the diaga tapered eye therein into which a wood-handle onals of the eye, turned therein and seated in is inserted and into which handle wedges are the tapered slot to prevent accidental removal of driven to expand the material of the handle the tool head from the plate. 1

within the eye of the head. After a relatively Other objects and advantages of my invenshort period of use the wedges become loosened tion will be app t from a! Study of the and allow the handle to contract within the eye, ow ng specification, read in connection with the making the head loose upon the handle. p y g drawing, wherein,

55 It is therefore an object of my invention to Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a hammer 5 provide a hammer or similar tool with a handle equipped W a h n d Securing means 00nwhich may be rigidly secured thereto without ruct'edin accordance with my inven i n; the employment of wedges or other expanding g. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken d i through the tool head and illustrating the man- A th r object 0f my i v nti i t provide ner in which the securing plate may be inserted 20 a tool of the character described wherein a metal therein; plate is employed having a width at each ofi'ts 3 is an end elevational View p dends greater than the transverse dimensions of ing to 2 and illustrating the a ner in which the eye of the tool head whereby once the tool the p t m y e serted in the tool head and head is placed upon the plateit is prevented from turned to be disposed in parallel'relation with accidental remova1 therefr m v one of the transverse axes of the eye of the head;

Another object of my invention is to provide d a tool of the character described wherein a metal 4 iS a gitu nal sectional view similar m t having a i t t each of t ends to Fig. 2 and illustrating the plate rotatedinto cess of the transverse dimensions of the eye of parallel relation W the transverse axis of the 30 the tool head, requiring insertion of the plate t head- 7 i It into the eye along the diagonals of the eye where- Referring to e n I ave illustrated by disposing the plate in parallel relation with my invention as app d e hamm the ead i either of the transverse dimensions of the eye of Which y be t ted in the usual 'man- .3 will prevent accidental removal of the head from pr v d a m fatev 2 and claws 3 d i the Plate posed n ppo ite sides'fof an eye 4. The *eye Another object of my invention is to provide 4 extends u h the'head l and through a,

a device of the character set forth in the precedshank 5 to i therein a d handle ing paragraphs wherein a handle member havh l el Construction of the eye o hammers 40 ing a longitudinal head formed therein is adaptslmllar tools 9 taper the eye inwardly from "40 ed to receive the portion of the plate protruding both ends partlcula'flvy from h from e 79f from the eye of the head and adapted to fill the the d so that the ,handle 6.11aVing reduced j 5 2 2;: prevent turmng of the plate t by means of wedges or similar devicesto fill the enlarged outer or front end I of the eye. f i fi g lfi g 9 i s? In accordance with my invention, however, the a too 0 e c I er escn. e w erem e eye eye 4 is preferably'constructed as a rectangular of the tool head is formed without taper toward opening the Opposed Side Walls of which taper its outer end, permitting the insertion of a hanonly from the rear end so that a reduced end of dle member to fill the eye without expansion, and the wood handle 6 may be driven from the rear a plate insertable through the eye along the diof the eye to fill the entire space within the eye agonal of the eye whereby turning the plate after without requiring expansion at its outer end.

insertion to parallel relation with either of the To hold the handle 6 in secured fixed relation transverse axes of the eye will prevent accidenwithin the eye 4, I provide a securing plate 8 55 which preferably comprises an elongated relatively thin plate having a width between its ends approximately between the broken lines enclosed within the bracket 9 of less dimension than the longer transverse axis of the eye 4 but having a width at each of its ends as indicated at Ill and I l greater than the longer transverse axis of the eye 4.

The end II] is preferably tapered inwardly and rearwardly and is constructed of such dimension as will permit it to pass through the eye 4 from the rear end of the shank when tipped or tilted into parallel relation with one of the diagonals of the eye 4, as is indicated particularly in Figs. 2 and 3. Thus by tipping the plate H] to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, it may be readily inserted from the rear of the shank into and through the eye 4 to the position shown in Fig. 4, at which time the reduced width 9 is disposed within the eye 4, permitting the plate to be rotated about its longitudinal axis to dispose the plate centrally between the side walls l2 and I3 of the eye and in a plane parallel to the surfaces of the walls l2 and 13, as is illustrated in dotted lines 14 in Fig. 3. Then drawing or driving the plate 8 rearwardly to the position shown in Fig. 1 or in dotted lines in Fig. 4, the tapered end Ill of the plate will be driven into tight relation within the eye 4.

The wood handle 6 is provided with an elongated longitudinal slot 6a. extending from its forward end adapted to fit the thickness of the securing plate 8 and of a length sufficient to enclose the plate 8. Thus after the plate 8 has been located within the head in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, the handle 6 may be slipped over the protruding end i l of the plate and have its reduced end driven into the eye 4 of the, head. By reason of the non-tapered construction of the eye 4, the handle end will completely fill, the space within the eye as indicated at 6b, preventing rotation of the securing plate 8 toward a diagonal position therein and thus holding the plate securely in place within the eye.

A plurality of screws, bolts, rivets or other securing devices l5 may extend through the two leaves 60 of the handle 6 on opposite sides of the slot 6a and through suitable openings IS in the plate 8 to secure the plate against forward movement relative tothe handle 6.

The plate 8 is preferably constructed of relatively hard material and if desired may be of such character that when driven into its position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4 the tapered end of the plate will tend to. out into the material of the head I and thus seat itself securely within the head. However, I prefer to provide tapered slots l1 and I8 in the upper and lower walls of the eye 4 as indicated particularly in Fig. 2, the taper of the slots or grooves conforming with the taper of the end ID of the plate and forming a pre-formed seat for the tapered end of the plate 8. Also if desired shallow grooves l9 and 20 may be provided at diagonally opposite corners of the 'eye 4 to enlarge this diagonal to permit the more ready insertion of the plate 2.

It will be noted that the rearward portion of the wood handles for tools of this character are usually larger in cross sectional dimension than the eye of the tool head so that by employing my construction of securing plate 8, insertable from the rear of the shank 5, the rearward end ll of the plate may be shaped to conform with the surface configuration of this larger portion of the wood handle 6. Thus when the wood handle is in place as shown in Fig. l, the plate 8 will completely fill the slot 6a, the edges of the plate lying flush with the surface of the wood handle 6 and leaving no depressions or cavities which would otherwise interfere with the comfortable handling of the tool.

It will therefore be observed that I have provided a hand tool in which a wood handle may be secured to the tool head without the employment of expansion wedges or other similar expanding devices and in which the securing plate when assembled with the handle provides a smooth unbroken gripping surface upon the wood handle 6.

However, if desired, my handle and securing plate may be employed with the usual construction of hammer or similar tool heads provided with an eye flaring or tapering at opposite ends by merely employing narrow wedges inserted through the front of the eye into the projecting wings of the handle.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to any of the details of construction shown or described herein, except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a hand tool, a tool head having an eye formed therein, a handle member insertable in said eye, means for securing said handle member to said tool head comprising a securing plate having one of its ends of greater width than the longer axis of said eye to conform with the width of the handle member and having a width at its opposite end substantially equal to one of the transverse diagonals of the eye and with a reduced width between said ends whereby said plate may be inserted in said eye from the rear thereof along said diagonal and may be turned to parallel the longer transverse axis of said eye, and means for securing said plate to said handle member.

2. In a. hand tool, a tool head having an eye formed therein, a handle member insertable in said eye, means for securing said handle member to said tool head comprising a securing plate having one of its ends of greater width than the longer axis of said eye to conform with the width of the handle member and having a width at its opposite end substantially equal to one of the transverse diagonals of the eye and with a reduced width between said ends whereby said plate may be inserted in said eye from the rear thereof along said diagonaland may be turned to parallel the longer transverse axis of said eye, a longitudinal slot formed in said handle member for the reception therein of said securing plate whereby the forward end of said handle member may be disposed within said eye to lock said plate in its position disposed parallel to the said axis of said eye.

ALBIN R. ERICKSON. 

